Report projects U.S. hospitals will lose at least $54B in net income this year

U.S. hospitals will lose an estimated $54 billion in net income this year, even after federal relief funds, as higher labor and other expenses and sicker patients impact their financial health during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by Kaufman, Hall & Associates released today by the AHA. More than a third of hospitals are expected to end 2021 with negative margins. 

“With cases and hospitalizations at elevated levels again due to the rapid spread of the Delta variant, physicians, nurses and other hospital caregivers and personnel are working tirelessly to care for COVID-19 patients and all others who need care,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “At the same time, hospitals are experiencing profound headwinds that will continue throughout the rest of 2021.”